At the start of the night, crusty noisemakers Zatsuon pierced through the sparse crowd with a blisteringly short set that involved a lot of caterwauling, a lot of blown out bass and a lot of thrashing about (though almost entirely by the band's frontman who violently threw himself into and out of the less-than-willing crowd on more than one occasion). Polarizing the small crowd, the open-minded stayed throughout their set while the rest-- no doubt Cult of Youth fans expecting something less aurally assaulting--retreated to the back of the venue. Summed up well by a small and very concerned-looking concertgoer after Zatsuon's frontman jumped from the stage into the crowd, "Do you know if all the other bands are going to be like this? I don't want to get hurt."

Whether or not she preferred what Pink Reason brought to the stage next is uncertain, but they did set the concert on a less sinister path--at least on the surface. The set hearkened to a time of a laid-back punk affectation, less encumbered by fashion statements and more about the familiar devil-may-care attitude. Jangling, bluesy at times, Pink Reason were, above all, quite fun to watch--a far cry from the hollow alienation that characterized the band's earlier "shitgaze" records. Someone familiar with the band's discography might even say that Pink Reason's performance spoke to a newfound control over the uninhibited anomie of their earlier work; a sign that the band is not less nihilistic these days, but more at ease with that nihilism. True to that, frontman Kevin DeBroux introduced one of his upbeat, pogo-ready punk songs with, "This song is about the American prison system...I just wanna say: fucking kill cops."

Pharmakon

Though it may have been an odd choice to add noise projectPharmakon to the bill, it proved an awesome one. Easily the most unexpected and powerful performance of the night, solo noise artist Margaret Chardiet commanded the attention of the of the audience more than any other. Ghoulishly swaying back and forth with her long blonde hair concealing her face, her distorted, reverberating vocals cascaded through harsh industrial beats. It was less a performance and more a display of demonic possession, the spilling over of a rage so pure, powerful and misanthropic that it seized total control over all.

It was as if Pharmakon delivered the opening liturgy for headliners Cult of Youth who did, in fact, preside over the show much like a priest at the altar. By the time they went on, the stage was smoky, the smell of incense pervading through the dark room. The bands raw pastiche of rugged Americana, neo-folk and exotic psychedelia are haunting enough alone, but coupled with their spectral appearance on stage -- lit only from below, shadows casting into the hollows of each musician's face -- one could believe they were quite literally channeling the spirits of long-dead saints, criminals and poets. Though now short the disturbingly beautiful violin arrangements of Christiana Key, Cult of Youth proved no worse for wear and the songs played from their new album may very well be their richest yet.

Cult of Youth head out on tour in early October, including a stop at FFF Fest in Austin. Tour dates are below.

One-woman noise wrecking crew Pharmakon will join a stellar support cast of Pink Reason and Zatsuon as part of the previously discussedCult of Youth record release party that happens tonight (9/7) at Public Assembly. Tickets are available at the door for or you can try your hand at winning a pair! Details on how to win are below.

If you can't celebrate Cult of Youth's new LP with the band, live vicariously through their recorded material; Love will Prevail is out now via Sacred Bones. Stream a couple of tracks and check out video of Pharmakon's live set below.

Cult of Youth is on tour in Europe in September and will cross paths with labelmates and fellow Brooklynites Amen Dunes. Amen Dunes' US tour leads up to and follows those dates in the EU, includes a stop at Hopscotch this weekend,.

Major omission from this week's This Week in Indie: Melbourne's duo Super Wild Horses are playing TWO shows tonight (9/16). First at Cameo Gallery with Reading Rainbow and Night Manager, then later at Death by Audio with fellow Aussies UV Race, Home Blitz and Pink Reason.

Their new LP on Hozac, produced by Eddie Current Suppression Ring's Mikey Young, is packed with fuzzy indie rock that has a definite early '90s feel to it. (Tsunami or Scrawl do come to mind.) Check out "Golden Town" at the top of this post. Its video is below along with all Super Wild Horses tour dates...

Noise Magazine: I'm 'quoting' Nick Cave 'cause your music captures the darkest side of the Australian swamp rock/noise scene from Birthday Party, The Scientists, Beasts Of Bourbon to Lubricated Goat or even Bird Blobs... Is this among your main influences/inspiration sources? You've been on the bill with a bunch of those Australian bands too. What's your connection with them? Kristian is basically from Australia, right?

Woman's Kristian Brenchley: Thank you, in fact I am Australian but have but have been living in NYC since 2001. As for those Australian influences, stuff like The Birthday Party is in our blood down there. Same goes for AC/DC. So, I can't pick up the guitar without a little of that coming out! But we don't try to sound a certain way, I think once you start with that you're doomed to failure. As for the Bird Blobs, I've known Tim for 15 years and he lives in NYC now. So we have been playing on the same bills all that time. [Tim and I] took what we had in Melbourne in the '90's and moved it over here.

Though they aren't participating in the AmRep Anniversary show in Minneapolis, reactivated Australian noise rock terrorists Lubricated Goat are still back at it with Stu Spasm, the only oringinal member, behind the mic. Their last show was at Bruar Falls in June. Catch them next at Union Pool on August 6th alongside Pink Reason and NYC/Australian band Woman. The show is the only show scheduled for all three bands.

Former Lubricated Goat (and Swans) drummer Vinny Signorelli will be in Minneapolis to play AmRep's anniversary show, though he'll be there with his band Unsane. Unsane are scheduled to play NYC on August 5th alongside Keelhaul, Pigs, and Disappearer at Santos Party House, where the band will perform all of their landmark LP Scattered Smothered & Covered. Tickets are on sale.

the hammerhead reunion at death by audio ruled so fucking hard #the90s #olddudes #shredding #ripping -erikinternet

Hammerhead

Hammerhead played a "one time only NYC reunion" set at Death By Audio last night (6/24), with support from Pink Reason, CCR Headcleaner, Bogan Dust, and Divorce Money as part of an Under Aurora production. The show was the first in NYC in a long while and one of two dates the band had scheduled, with the high-profile Am-Rep Anniversary gig (with Unsane, Melvins, Today Is The Day and more) serving as the second.

Unfortunately, I arrived at Death by Audio moments into the last Pink Reason song, so no pics of the remainder of the support, but pics of Pink Reason and Hammerhead, as well as video of Hammerhead are below...

As early as 1989 or 1990, a band came out of the moderately sized North Dakota town of Fargo. They were called Hammerhead. The line up was Paul Sanders on guitar and vocals, Paul Erickson on bass and vocals, and Jeff Morridian Jr on drums. At some point early on they relocate to Minneapolis, Minnesota...[where] they hooked up with Amphetamine Reptile Records, the invincible indie label that rose from the ashes of Treehouse Records and Glitterhouse Records. Between 92' and 96', Hammerhead released 4 full length albums, including many singles and comp songs as well... [helping to] propel Amrep to greater heights of popularity, and ...define that "minneapolis/amrep" sound of the early 90's. Some time in 96', however, Hammerhead suddenly broke up [as] Paul Sanders left the band. ...About a year later, word started to spread of a new band, called Vaz, featuring Paul Erickson on vocals, guitar and bass, and Jeff Morridian Jr on drums and vocals. Paul Sanders [reemerged] ...with The Heroine Sheiks, that disbanded in 2009.

You won't have to fly to Minneapolis or wait until August to catch the return of AmRep badasses Hammerhead, as the band will play a reunion show on THURSDAY (6/24) at Death By Audio alongside Pink Reason, CCR Headcleaner (ex-Long Legged Woman, ex-Hospitals), Bogan Dust, and Divorce Money. According to Pink Reason, the show will be a "one time only NYC reunion gig", so get there! (thx Mark!)

As you all may or may not know, a dear friend of mine named Michael Yaniro was a victim of violent robbery in the Ridgewood area of Queens (NYC). He was savagely beaten beyond recognition, and now he's got a long road ahead of him with many surgeries. To add insult to his injuries, he has no medical insurance!

A brief description of his injuries: His right eye socket needs surgery as there is a bone protruding into it... so it needs to be repaired to restore his ability to move the eye. (He has had this surgery, and will need more work in the future). He has a fractured jaw and nose which will require surgery to repair, as well as multiple broken bones in his face. Pieces of titanium metal is to be inserted in his face to support the bones.

His girlfriend Abby is trying to get him Emergency Medicaid, but that is really tough to get approved, and its doubtful whether or not it will be rewarded. That is why this fundraiser was started. Its not registered as non-profit organization (so if you're looking for a tax break, this is not the time and place for it), but as a way to possibly raise a little money to help him through his crisis. [Julie Finley]

Twin Stumps recently released a new killer LP on Dais Records. It's what turned me on to the damaged, caustic noise rock (in a Clockcleaner, Drunkdriver, Brainbombs sense) band. Soon after, their bassist Mike Yaniro was viciously attacked. Since then a groundswell of support from the underground has surfaced, including a few benefit shows. The latest show is scheduled for Dec 4th (Friday) at Death By Audio, where Pink Reason, Sightings, York Factory Complaint (featuring Genesis P-orridge), and White Suns are all on the bill.

If you can't make it on Friday, head to the Mike Yaniro site to see how you can help, or pick up a copy of the Twin Stumps LP (recommended!) here. Get back to rockin soon!

Pink Reason and White Suns tour dates, the show flyer, and a ton of videos are below...

At [D.C.'s] the Black Cat Backstage [Nov. 5th], [Kurt] Vile ambled through the final date of a month of shows with his three-piece band, The Violators, for what he said was the largest crowd he'd played. Double digits, still -- right-sized. He opened the 70-minute set with a solo take of "Peeping Tomboy," which, like so much of the spectral folk side of his songbook, seemed to waft in from some phantom radio. Even when the combo joined him for the stouter stuff -- like "Freak Train," the self-explanatory centerpiece of his just-released "Childish Prodigy" album -- the cacophony was more ethereal than kinetic.

After innumerable self-releases, his songs still sound like their paint's still wet, which is part of their appeal. It remains to be seen whether they can, or should, expand beyond the cult of sober head-nodders who paid their respects last night. The only person dancing was a British girl whose accent was pitched just-so to be perfectly audible through the din.

In non-New York news, Vile will be playing a New Year's Eve show at Chicago's The Riviera with The Black Keys. Tickets are on sale. Half of the Black Keys, Dan Auerbach, plays Webster Hall on Wednesday, November 11th.

A flyer for Vile's Europa show and all upcoming tour dates (in which Vile goes to Europe this December) are posted below...

Beijing, China has a pretty healthy indie rock scene but we don't hear about it much here in the States, mainly, because they rarely tour here. But this week three Beijing groups are in town as part of the Sing for China tour, which supports an effort by the Chinese music community to help children orphaned by AIDS in China. The bands are Hedgehog, Queen Sea Big Shark, and Casino Demon -- all of which are on Beijing label Modern Sky. Hedgehog and QSBS play tonight (9/23) at Silent Barn (along with Pink Reason and Matt from Psychedelic Horseshit), and all three will play Columbia University on Friday (9/25) and Santos Party House on Saturday (9/26). I don't claim to know much about the bands, so let's just quote from the press release.

Hedgehog: Powered by pint-size female drummer/vocalist Atom, Hedgehog represent the best of China's rock scene. The band was a featured headliner at the Modern Sky Festival in 2008 and Strawberry Festival (Beijing) in May of 2009. Hedgehog's 2006 debut Noise Hit World was a critic favorite in China, and their 2008 release Blue Day Dreaming helped catapult them to the top of the Chinese indie-rock world.

Queen Sea Big Shark: Expect a barrage of rock n' roll-electro power punches from arguably the most ferocious rockers on the Beijing scene. QSBS rarely disappoints in delivering tight, raunchy instrumentation fronted by the frenetic, full-body assault of singer Fu Han, a woman seemingly possessed on stage. The band supported the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Modern Sky Festival (Beijing) in 2007 and recently headlined the Converse sponsored "Love Noise" tour in China.

Casino Demon: Veering from raw, noisy guitar bursts to tight, rapid-paced assaults, Casino Demon during 2006 moved from the outskirts of the Beijing live music scene to the forefront. At heart, they're a good-time rock n' roll band that really like to crank it up. Casino Demon recently celebrated the release of their new album, Teenage, in March of 2009.

You can download MP3s from all three bands at the top of this post. All Sing for China tour dates and some videos below...

Advice for attending July 4th fireworks: arrive early and expect crowds [Everything Hudson]

Another piece of advice -- be in New Jersey or Manhattan. This year's Macy's 4th of July fireworks are going to be located in the Hudson River only, so spots in Brooklyn and Queens won't have a very good view (if any). They kick off at 9pm. Viewing locations HERE.

What are you doing on the 4th? Below we've listed a bunch of other options if you'll be in NYC (and a few if you want to leave)...